Injuries Caused by Snow and Ice Accidents

Snow and ice frequently cause slip and fall accidents, which in turn, cause substantial injuries. While some accidents that occur due to snow and ice are inescapable, many are caused by a property owner’s careless failure to maintain the property in a safe condition. People who recklessly allow snow and ice to remain on their property can be held accountable for any injuries caused by snow and ice accidents, and parties who suffer such harm should confer with a lawyer to discuss what compensation they may be owed. Howard Leopold of Leopold Law, L.L.C. is a zealous Bergen County personal injury attorney, and if you were injured in an incident on another person’s property, he will work tirelessly to help you seek any compensation you may be owed via a premises liability lawsuit.

Slip and fall accidents on snow and ice can result in various injuries. Fractures and broken bones in areas like wrists, arms, legs, shoulders, and hips are common, as are sprains and strains of the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Head injuries, from concussions to traumatic brain injuries, occur frequently as well, due to the injured party’s head making contact with icy ground and pavement. Contusions and bruises frequently arise also, as does dislocation of joints, such as the shoulder and knee. Slip and falls can also trigger emotional and psychological trauma, including anxiety and depression.

In New Jersey, the person or entity who possesses or controls a property may be held accountable for injuries caused by snow and ice accidents on their property. Generally, whether the possessor will be liable depends on when the injury occurred in the context of the storm that created the snow and ice, as well as the legal status of the person injured on the property and the defendant’s knowledge of the dangerous condition.

In New Jersey, property owners typically do not have a duty to remove snow or ice from their premises during storm activity. Instead, they have until a reasonable time after the storm to remove any snow and ice. There are few exceptions to the rule, however, and a plaintiff who suffered injuries caused by snow and ice during an active storm must demonstrate that an exception applies to establish liability.

The possessor of a property also owes a different duty of care to certain entrants of their property. For example, a possessor must exercise reasonable care to protect invitees from dangerous conditions that the possessor actually knows of or reasonably should have been aware of under the circumstances if the invitee does not notice the condition. The possessor must also conduct reasonable inspections in order to uncover latent dangerous conditions. Customers are typically considered invitees.

If a person is a licensee, however, the possessor only has to warn of dangerous conditions of which they are actually aware and of which the licensee is unlikely to be aware, but does not have a duty to inspect. Lastly, a possessor only has a duty to warn trespassers of artificial conditions on the property that may cause serious bodily harm or death and to refrain from willfully harming them.

Snow and ice may lead to an accident that causes severe injuries, and people injured on another person’s property have a right to seek justice for their losses. If you were hurt in a slip and fall accident on someone else’s property, it is prudent to speak to a lawyer about your options for seeking compensation. Howard Leopold of Leopold Law, L.L.C. is a capable Bergen County personal injury attorney, and if you hire him, he will craft effective arguments to help you prove the party responsible for your accident should be held accountable for your harm. Mr. Leopold has an office in Hackensack as well as an office in New York City, and he often represents injured parties in premises lawsuits in Bergen County and cities throughout Hudson, Passaic, and Essex Counties in New Jersey, and Bronx, Richmond, Kings, New York, Queens, and Rockland Counties in New York. You can reach him via the online form or at his New Jersey office at (201) 345-5907 or his New York office at (646) 650-2106 to set up a free and confidential meeting.